Synopses & Reviews
What happens to the girls nobody hears when they cry for help?Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.
Luces own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribes queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luces struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarinas leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?
Review
"A haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . . a captivatingly different story."
—Booklist
Review
"A haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . . a captivatingly different story."
—Booklist "A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself."—Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far "It might be shelved as a fantasy, but Lost Voices is full of gripping, harsh realism. Without resorting to stereotypes or tired high school plots, it deals with the complications of friendship and peer pressure. And at its core, it's nothing more than a really believable, understandable and relatable story about finding one's voice. Its relevance to real life and its references to the real issues that create lost girls --- abuse, neglect, rape, bad parenting and more--make it a one-of-a-kind mermaid story. For that reason, it will appeal to paranormal, fantasy and realism fans alike."--teenreads.com "This is a dark and compelling take on a world usually depicted as more lighthearted. . . . Porter nonetheless carefully doles out enough possibilities to keep the overall tone hopeful, and given the already numerous perky mermaids, these gritty, wounded souls are a creative and welcome addition to the field."--Bulletin "The beautifully crafted first book of the Lost Voices trilogy is told in such a rich, despairing aqua tinged tone, it leaves you desperate for more."--Fantasy Book Review
Review
"Cornwell's themes of body image, abuse, and the danger and pleasure found in relationships of all kinds emerge organically through the book's visceral, disturbing, and often lovely imagery."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[A] graceful debut novel. . . The narrative shimmers and haunts, and will appeal to readers who don't typically like fantasy."
—Booklist
"Cornwell seamlessly weaves together three distinctive narrative voices to tell a completely original story. . . [Tides] offers a valuable message of acceptance."
—VOYA, 4Q 3P J S
"A satisfying mix of folktale, mystery, and family drama, this eerie story will leave readers with the distinct impression that Gemm's island home has a bottomless supply of heartbreaking tales of love and loss."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A haunting, atmospheric, intergenerational tale of the "inbetween," suffused with selkie lore."
—Kirkus
"Subtle themes of turning weakness into strength and threaded throughout the story and ultimately create a nuanced debut novel. . . . An insightful and compelling work."
—School Library Journal
"Longing for the beyond vies with the deep bonds of love, home, and family in Betsy Cornwell's dreamlike and heart-wrenching novel, and her fresh, delicate lyricism conveys her characters' struggles with compelling power. A truly beautiful debut!"
—Sarah Porter, author of the Lost Voices trilogy
“Tides is a rich, taut, suspenseful, and funny exploration of two worlds, selkie and human. It's full of mystery but it's also so fully imagined that a reader can jump right in. Betsy Cornwell is a terrific new talent with a boundless imagination.”
—Valerie Sayers, author of Who Do You Love and Brain Fever
Review
Praise for Waking Storms "Sarah Porters mermaid world is dazzlingly imagined and richly, hauntingly told.
Waking Storms is as enchanting—and dark, and lush, and tragic, and gorgeous—as the mermaids' song."—Carolyn Turgeon, author of
Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale "Porter has crafted another winner. . . . Like any good middle novel in a trilogy, Waking Storms leaves plenty of strings untied to keep you hungry for the final installment. But unlike many weaker series, this book also stands up completely on its own two feet (fins?) and is as deep, dark and magical as Lost Voices. A reader could pick it up not having read the previous title and be fine, while fans of the first novel surely will not be disappointed."--teenreads.com
Praise for Lost Voices "[A] haunting debut. . . . Porters writing is expressive and graceful. . . . a captivatingly different story."—
Booklist"A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a lost soul struggling to forgive the people she loved who wronged her, and ultimately to forgive herself."—Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far Praise for The Twice Lost "The Twice Lost offers a moving, action-packed and deeply satisfying ending to Sarah Porter's brilliant Lost Voices trilogy. What a beautiful, intense world of ferocious lost girls who find themselves at last. I loved it."--Carolyn Turgeon, author of Mermaid and The Fairest of Them All
Synopsis
A teen finds herself abused, neglected, and hopeless on the icy shores of Alaska and expects to die when she tumbles to the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation into a mermaid. Elated when she is taken in by a tribe, she soon comes to realize there is more drama and malevolence there than she could've ever expected and has to decide if she can stand up for what's right.
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Luce reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on
the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she
tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation
and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost
girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is
thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable
desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the
rocks. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?
Synopsis
The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.
Synopsis
Set on the Isles of Shoals, remote islands off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, this page-turning YA debut weaves the Celtic ocean lore of selkies and a compelling mystery into a story about family secrets and love.
Synopsis
“A satisfying mix of folktale, mystery, and family drama.”—
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksWhen high school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don't expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.
Synopsis
In the captivating sequel to Lost Voices, a mermaid versus human war looms on the horizon, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But when she meets Dorian, her sworn enemy, and falls in love, she is forced to go back and fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids in the exciting second installment of this paranormal trilogy.
Synopsis
"Enchanting."—Carolyn Turgeon, author of Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce receives news that the tribes queen wants her dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for the murder of his family. And while the mermaids believe that humans never suspect their existence, there are ominous signs to the contrary. But when Luce and Dorian meet, they wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?